


Death is Often Kinder than Love

by beingaverageisnormal



Series: The Angel of Death [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, Morally Ambiguous Character, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Indulgent, Slow Burn, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24520540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beingaverageisnormal/pseuds/beingaverageisnormal
Summary: Cassandra Callaghan decides to learn about a different kind of monster, the kind mortals created themselves. The kind, her father says, that is the closest thing a mortal could ever get to true immortality.She knows the Originals have lived for over a thousand years, she expects them to be monsters.They prove her wrong
Relationships: Elijah Mikaelson & Original Female Character(s), Elijah Mikaelson/Original Female Character(s), Klaus Mikaelson & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Angel of Death [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1772038
Comments: 42
Kudos: 154





	1. Prologue

* * *

The life of a demigod was never easy.

Cassandra knew that better than most.

Those who didn’t die before their twenties usually went to school, tried to get a semblance of normalcy in their life, and, depending on their godly parent, succeeded to varying levels.

She was not one of them.

Cassandra wanted to continue her education, really she did, but her professors were less gracious about it every time she missed class or couldn’t turn in an assignment due to some demigod-related problem. Eventually she had to drop out, the stress was too much.

Ever since the war with Gaea and her giants, ever since the gap between Romans and Greeks were mended, Greek demigods were allowed to attend the university in New Rome.

It seemed like a great idea until she was faced with a lot of problems every time she tried to apply.

“The Romans don’t like being reminded of their own mortality,” Nico told her one day, “it makes them,” he rolled his eyes, “ _uncomfortable_.”

“I would really like to move on to the next stage of my life,” Cassandra replied angrily, “I can’t just stay here forever.”

“You could go to Mystic Falls,” Nico offered, “that place _reeks_ of death, you’d blend right in.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re hilarious,” she said sarcastically, “Now why would I go to a small town in Virginia?”

“I’m serious,” he said, “my dad was ranting about the Originals again, they’ve resurfaced in Mystic Falls. They have such a powerful stench it could cover up any demigod smell easily. You could go there, meet them, and stay monster-free,” Nico hesitated, “well technically _Greek_ monster-free, over there they have---”

“---vampires?”

“And witches, and maybe werewolves? Although there hasn’t been much activity there in a while.”

Cassandra wrinkled her nose in disgust, “Not Lycaon’s pack.”

“Descendants I think.”

“Oh _wonderful_.”

“Don’t worry about it too much Cassie, their claws aren’t poisonous,” he grimaced, clutching his old scar reflexively, “thankfully, and most if not all have never met a demigod in their life.”

She pondered his suggestion for a moment, learning about the monsters mortals have created sounded appealing enough, “I’ll consider it.”

Nico grinned, standing up, “Great! Maybe if you’re lucky, you can send a few to my dad, he’d really appreciate it.”

Cassandra matched his smile, “Anything for my dad’s boss.”

“Do you want to spar?” Nico asked, drawing his sword, “Will’s been helping me use my powers without fainting, and there’s a few things I want to try out.”

Cassandra twisted the ring on her finger, watching it rapidly grow into a 3 foot long Stygian Iron sword, “Sure.”

* * *

Nico awoke to a soft knock at his cabin door.

He blindly stumbled to the entrance, blinking blearily once he came face to face with Cassandra.

“Is there an emergency?” he asked, taking in her attire.

If he squinted, Cassandra almost looked like a normal college student. She had her hair pulled up into a messy bun, tendrils of raven locks framing her face as her unusual golden eyes peered at him guilessly. If he squinted, he could almost ignore the dark aura surrounding her.

“I’m leaving,” she said quietly, “I finalized the details with Chiron this morning, and I wanted to say good-bye before I go.”

Nico was at loss for words, he didn’t think she would leave so soon. It was stupid of him, since he was the one who suggested it to her, but, in the moment, it hurt a lot more than he expected. 

He studied the teenager in front of him. She really was the spitting image of her father, long raven curls, bronzed teakwood skin, aristocratic features. Her striking gold eyes reminded him of Hazel, her tall, lean, muscular build could rival Reyna’s. The way she cared and made sure he never over exerted himself painfully reminded him of Bianca.

Cassandra Callaghan became another sister to him, and he realized that, like all his sisters, wanted to spread her wings and explore what life had to offer, even if it meant leaving him.

“Hey it’s okay,” she said gently, “I’ll visit, I promise. This isn’t a permanent goodbye.”

Nico looked once more at the dark aura around her, looming menacingly, “You don’t know that.”

Cassandra looked at him knowingly, “I’m not afraid Nico,” she said, “I will accept it when the time comes, but until then, I will fight with everything I have. This isn’t the end, not yet.”

Wordlessly he enveloped her in a hug, and the two of them just stood there, holding on to each other tightly.

“I’ll miss you,” Nico whispered, “please---”

_Stay safe_ , hung unsaid between them, _don’t die._

“I promise.”

* * *

Cassandra headed towards the van silently, smiling at Argus once she saw him.

She turned around to take one last look at her home, gazing at the sleeping cabins one last time, and Cassandra felt herself smile.

It’s true, she would miss this place.

But adventure awaited her elsewhere.

And she was going to find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a rewrite of something I wrote in ffnet and I'm moving it here. I'm hoping to update at least once a week, but no promises : )


	2. Chapter 1

* * *

Mystic Falls was a lot… quieter than she expected.

Sure it was no Manhattan, but honestly Cassandra was expecting a little bit more than a town the size of camp. They might've had a recent episode of animal attacks, but she chalked it up to vampires and their cover stories. Other than that, nothing happened in the small town.

It was _too_ quiet.

So when Chiron told her about the Salvatore Boarding House, the place where she was going to stay, Cassandra fought the urge to scream, "I understand it is not ideal," he said sympathetically, "but it was the only housing available at such short notice."

So there she stood, outside the door, waiting for _someone_ to let her in when a girl with brown hair stormed up to the entrance, screeched to a halt when she saw Cassandra, and just stared unabashedly at the demigod who waved a tad awkwardly, "Hi, I'm new here. Cassandra Callaghan nice to meet you."

The girl's eyes darted from the demigod, to the door, as if calculating how quickly she could run into the house, "Elena Gilbert," she greeted warily, "I'm sorry, are you staying here?"

The demigod smiled brightly, "Yes I am, they couldn't find anywhere else on such a short notice. I'm waiting for someone to let me in."

Elena's eyes widened, "Oh! I can just—here," she went ahead and opened the door without any problem, much to Cassandra’s annoyance, "just to warn you though, Damon can be really, really annoying."

"Now Elena, that's just _rude_ ," another voice drawled.

Cassandra eyed the vampire before her, wondering if the Mist was playing tricks again. As far as monsters go, Damon looked completely normal, handsome even, and too drunk to be intimidating, "You're the new girl, aren't you," it was more of a statement than a question, like she said, he was _quite_ drunk.

"Yes that's me," Cassandra said politely, silently wishing death on everyone in the room, "if you could just show me my room, I'll be out of your hair," she tilted her head, "besides, isn't it a bit too early to be so drunk?"

Damon patted her head, oblivious to the seething demigod as he showed her the room, "Don't worry about me princess,” he winked, “I can handle my alcohol."

Cassandra made a noise that sounded like a scream in the back of her throat, " _Princess_ ? That's the _best_ you could come up with?"

The vampire gasped in mock offense, "I make these up as I go," he said, "you can’t fix what’s not broken."

"Talk to me when you _aren't_ drunk," Cassandra sneered, "then we'll discuss nicknames."

* * *

As soon as the door slammed shut on both of them, Damon turned to Elena, "I like this one," he smirked, "so feisty."

"Don't even _think_ about feeding on her," Elena hissed, "we have enough problems already with Stefan, speaking of, _how come you didn't tell me that you knew where he was_?"

Damon sighed, pushing her away from the new girl's room, "Not so loud Elena," he drawled, "the walls have ears you know."

Once they were back in the living room, Elena turned to Damon, "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, her voice hurt, "don't you want him back?"

"Of course I do," he said as he poured himself another glass, "more than you know."

"Then why—" Elena pressed.

Damon slammed the cup against the table, shattering it, "Have you ever considered the fact that he may not _want_ to be found?" he asked angrily, "that maybe, goody-two shoes Stefan is _gone_ and instead, we have a ripper on our hands?"

When he saw Elena's hurt expression he sighed, "Stefan is gone, because of me. He's with Klaus, because of me. If anything, Stefan is _my_ responsibility, not yours, and I say we give up on him," his tone softened, "he can't be saved Elena."

The doppelgänger started to shake her head, "No, no, you're wrong, you don't know him like I do,” Damon blinked at the implication, “That was him on the phone, I _know_ it. The Stefan I know is still in there, and you just want to give up on him?" Elena started backing away, "I—I have to go," she said quietly, turning around, "just because you gave up on him doesn't mean I will."

"Elena!" Damon called out, "Elena don't—" he sighed when he heard the door slam, collapsing onto the couch in exhaustion. He should’ve realized Elena wouldn’t let Stefan go so easily, he just didn’t think she would be so _emotional_ about it.

“How long have you been standing there?” he asked, aware of the extra heartbeat in the room.

Cassandra stepped out of her shadowy corner, "Depends," she shrugged, joining him on the couch, "I came to check it out when I heard glass shattering. The argument sounded a bit... intense." 

“Elena used to date my brother,” he offered in a way of explanation, “he left a while ago, and she’s not handling it very well.”

“Oh,” she paused, as if contemplating her words, “does she come by often?”

“Yeah she swings by from time to time,” he smirked, “can’t seem to get rid of her.”

He almost laughed at the way her expression soured, but he frowned instead when the tantalizing smell came back, almost stronger than before. It was strange, but his hazy mind couldn’t figure out what. All he knew was that it came from Cassandra.

Her sour expression turned surprised when he leaned into her space, deliberately taking a long whiff of her hair, “I almost forgot you were drunk,” she said dryly, “I suggest taking a step back before you lose a body part.”

Damon grinned lazily, his hooded eyes boring into hers, “You smell weird,” he said bluntly, watching the way her expression darkened, “I can’t decide if it’s a good smell or not.”

“It’s bad,” Cassandra replied automatically, “I hear my blood isn’t good for vampires.”

He froze, alarm bells going off wildly in his head, “You know?” the shock turned to anger, “Of course you know. Let me guess, Klaus sent you here. Well, you can let your boss know that we’re minding our own business, so you can go back to where you came from.”

“Klaus,” she said the name slowly, as if confused, “Klaus Mikaelson? He’s here?”

“Not anymore, he left a long time ago,” he narrowed his eyes as he began to advance towards her threateningly, “what are you? A witch? A vampire?”

She eyed him disdainfully, unperturbed by the veins creeping towards his eyes and the fangs descending from his mouth. Cassandra simply grabbed his face with her hand, her nails digging into his cheeks as she forced him to make eye contact with her. 

Her touch was frighteningly cold, and the longer she held him, the more drained he began to feel. Exhaustion began to settle in his bones and his vampiric expression disappeared until he was staring bleary-eyed into her empty gaze.

Damon’s mind was already muddled, and his vision blurred as he saw Cassandra snap her fingers in front of him.

Fog began to creep into his line of sight as he slipped in and out of unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was Cassandra’s satisfied expression, her smile frigidly vacant.

* * *

Cassandra frowned, this really wasn't how she wanted her first day to go, but this little meeting _did_ have some benefits. The demigod now knew where Klaus was, which wasn't in Mystic Falls, and apparently the vampire at her feet and his friend were involved with the Originals, so, in the end, Chiron _did_ make the right choice boarding her here.

She really shouldn't have given herself away so early, it was so much easier to get close to people when they didn’t suspect anything off about you.

Or, it was easier to get close to people when they already _believed_ you were close.

_Maybe_ , she thought to herself, slowly draining the life away from the vampire before her, _maybe this could work_.

She wasn’t sure how stealing a few years from a vampire would affect their life, but it sure made their minds more susceptible to the Mist, and that was important for the next step.

_He has such pretty eyes_ , she thought to herself, admiring the icy blue color, _shame._

Raising her other hand, she snapped her fingers, a clear, _sharp_ sound.

And Damon's beautiful eyes glazed over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates every Friday : )


	3. Chapter 2

* * *

Looking back, Cassandra laughed at how _easy_ it was to manipulate the vampire’s mind.

How easy it was to manipulate the whole group of supernatural friends into believing Cassandra was their close friend. 

“Hey Cass,” Elena said one night, “we’re going to do this Senior prank thing, kinda tradition, and Caroline is forcing me to participate, wanna come?”

Cassandra looked up from her book, “I’m technically done with high school, but sure.”

Elena just shook her head and grinned, gesturing for the demigod to follow. They arrived at the school easily enough, making their way through the hordes of students, stopping once they found their merry group of friends. Caroline squealed when she saw them, “You made it!” she cried, “and you brought Cassie!”

“Please don’t call me that,” Cassandra muttered under her breath, but Caroline heard it anyway.

Elena smiled, “Yeah I’m here, ready to ‘create memories,’” she made air quotes, “today.”

Caroline grinned, handing Elena a tube of superglue, “I’m so proud of you! Now go and superglue Alaric’s desk, we want to create _good_ memories!”

Bonnie looked up from the plastic wrap, “What’re you gonna do Cass?”

Cassandra looked around. She saw Tyler and Matt putting plastic wrap in the doorways, Bonnie was helping, and some kid she didn’t know was carefully drawing vulgar images in permanent marker on the whiteboard, “I think I’ll help in the gym,” she replied distractedly as she wandered to the hallway, leaving behind the confused group.

“Is she okay?” Caroline whispered.

Elena looked worriedly at the door, “She seemed fine earlier.”

* * *

Cassandra wandered aimlessly in the hallways, trying to discern the signs that would point her to the gym, although she was mostly content just watching teenagers bustle around.

The past few weeks had been less than ideal. She would be taking a walk then suddenly have to defend herself against a hellhound. Still, it seemed the presence of vampires alone seemed to mask her somewhat, but she still wanted to catch a break.

Standing in the hallways of a high school, participating in a long tradition created by students just having fun, Cassandra felt strangely… normal. 

She didn’t… _not_ like it.

And yet, every now and then she felt eyes boring into the back of her head, but every time she looked around, no one was there. It made her uneasy, and she felt herself reaching for her ring more than once.

A chill crept up her spine, and she knew someone with a very close relationship with Death was close by. The feeling was similar to when she first met Damon and the rest of his friends, except much more intense.

“Hello love,” a voice murmured behind her. Cassandra froze, not daring to turn around, her hand subtly resting on her ring, “are you lost? I didn’t realize demigods visited Mystic Falls anymore.”

It was expected for her heritage to be known by the older vampires, but she hadn’t expected one to be here, in a high school no less. Her heart began to beat faster as her body geared up for a fight. 

Cassandra’s lack of response seemed to have made the voice irritated, as suddenly a man appeared before her, grabbing her forcefully by the chin.

“Does the demigod not speak?” he mocked, smirking when she jerked out of his grasp, “am I not good enough for you?”

Cassandra quickly drew her sword and pushed him against the wall, digging the blade into the man’s neck and taking great pleasure in the way his eyes widened slightly in fear as he felt the cool touch of the Stygian Iron blade, “Touch me again,” she said softly, “and that will be the last thing you’ll ever do.”

“Such bravado,” he drawled, recovering quickly, “I wonder if that will hold up once I’m through with your _friends_.”

She tilted her head, observing him. The vampire before her was connected to Elena and co. somehow, and he knew what she was, even _recognizing_ what Stygian Iron could do to him. He had to be old, _ancient_ even. The older they were, the more likely they’ve crossed paths with a demigod at least once in their lifetime. Who---

_\---Oh_

Cassandra grinned, much to the unease of the vampire before her.

Or… well, much to the unease of _Klaus Mikaelson_.

“Klaus Mikaelson,” she said, stepping back to let him breathe, “you’re him aren’t you?”

Cassandra wondered why she hadn’t considered it before, but then again, she didn’t expect a handsome twenty-something British guy with a charming smile to be a thousand year old vampire-werewolf hybrid.

She took a deep breath, trying to relax in his presence. He probably had the blood of over one thousand lives in his hands. Cassandra felt something akin to dread pooling in her stomach, she was feeling a bit overwhelmed, and all her instincts were screaming at her to run. 

It was jarring, knowing that he could kill her in a heartbeat, and she wouldn’t even have time to defend herself. 

But he won’t.

Cassandra was counting on that.

She wondered why they looked like normal people instead of the monsters they were. Cassandra knew for certain that it wasn’t the Mist playing tricks on her again. 

For some reason, all the vampires she’s come across have been unfairly beautiful until they purposefully reveal their monstrous side, which led her to believe that was just how they looked before they died. Was that a requirement? Were all vampires going to be like this?

_Empousai exists_ , her mind helpfully added, _maybe the seduction part is a given?_

The way Klaus smiled at her suggested that the seduction part was _definitely_ a given, “Ah you’ve heard of me then?” his grin was downright arrogant, “Have you come to kill me love?”

“No,” she hummed, “not yet.”

His grin stretched wider, “What’s your name darling?” he asked, almost gleefully, “what’s the name of the first demigod I’ve met in decades?”

She fully lowered her sword, twisting it back into her ring, “Cassandra Callaghan.”

“Fascinating,” he said softly, reaching to caress her cheek, but was interrupted by a loud gasp from the end of the hallway. 

Both of them quickly turned toward the sound, and Cassandra recognized the shocked face of none other than Elena Gilbert. The sight of that girl quickly put a damper on her mood, but Klaus seemed even more delighted the moment he laid eyes on the brunette.

“Elena!” he exclaimed, his tone shifting from reverent curiosity to threatening familiarity, “sweetheart how’ve you been! I must say, it is quite a shock to see you up and about,” his tone turned downright murderous, “considering you were _dead_ the last time I saw you.”

Cassandra perked up at the mention of death, zeroing in on Elena’s terrified expression. Frustratingly, in all the time she’s spent with the girl, Cassandra never sensed Elena's brush with her father.

How annoying, spending so much time with these people must have dulled her senses.

“Leave her out of this Klaus,” Elena said, her voice trembling, “this is between you and me.”

Cassandra made eye contact with him, visibly seeing the gears turn in his mind. She wondered what he was thinking, many claimed that he was unpredictable at best, completely unhinged at worst, always catering to his own interests. 

She wondered if it included her.

The hybrid seemed to ponder Elena’s plea, “No, I don’t think I will,” suddenly, Klaus had Cassandra pressed against the wall, forcing eye contact between the two of them, even as Elena tried to stop him. Cassandra just stared back apathetically, silently daring him to try and hurt her, “ _stay here until I come back_ ,” he said in a low voice, “ _you’ll be coming with me_.”

Cassandra blinked as Klaus released her, confused. The hybrid winked at her, grabbed Elena by the arm, and started walking away, dragging the furious girl with him.

Klaus… _knew_ that compulsion didn’t work on demigods, right? Cassandra felt like he should have known, it made sense he would have known.

Did he honestly expect her to stay put? 

Morbid curiosity overtook her as she watched the pair walk away. 

Would he kill her for disobeying him? 

She didn’t think Klaus would kill a demigod just for not following an order. If she truly was the first he’s seen in a while, it wouldn’t make sense for him to hurt her.

Besides, if Cassandra was going to go with him after all of this, he needed to learn that she would not bend to him so easily.

Cassandra took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing on the strongest presence in the building and allowed herself to be drawn to it. She sank quickly into the nearest shadow, appearing in a dark corner of the gym, watching the scene play out before her.

“Alright everyone, clear out, you’ve been caught,” Klaus called out, pinning Elena’s arms behind her.

The rest of the seniors grumbled and left, except for two who stayed because Klaus compelled them to. They were quickly followed by Bonnie and Matt, and the hybrid seemed to be saying something to them.

“Yes that’s right,” Bonnie marched up to him, “if you want to blame someone then blame me.”

Klaus smiled, “Oh there’s no need for blaming love, just your witchy interference seemed to have caused some undesirable side effects, and since you caused the problem,” the door opened behind them, “you’re going to have to find the fix.”

A blonde woman stormed in with Tyler being dragged behind her, and Cassandra’s eyes widened when she realized that it was _another_ Original vampire. 

“Everyone this is my sister Rebekah,” the vampire smirked as she shoved Tyler into their little circle, “bit of a warning though, she can be quite mean.”

“Don’t be an ass,” Rebekah snapped.

Without warning, Klaus grabbed Tyler and started dragging him away, “I’m going to make this very simple. Every time I try to turn a werewolf into a vampire-hybrid, they die during the transition,” at everyone’s shocked faces he smiled, “it’s quite horrible actually,” he bit into his wrist and force fed Tyler his blood, “I need you to find a way to save my hybrids Bonnie, and for Tyler’s sake, you better hurry.”

With grandeur, Klaus snapped the teenager’s neck, letting him fall to the floor.

Cassandra winced, watching the body slump to the ground. She could see her father looming over the body, as if waiting for something.

_Thanatos looked up and made eye-contact with her._

_He smiled._

_Then he disappeared._

Having seen enough, Cassandra melted back into the shadows, reappearing in the spot she met Klaus.

Recognizing that her life is about to change rapidly, she sat down, trying to calm her nerves.

Then she waited.

* * *

“And if Bonnie’s successful, he’ll live through his transition, so go on then, fetch your grimoires and the like,” Klaus made a shooing motion as he gripped Elena’s arm, “I think I’ll just keep Elena here for safekeeping.”

“And Cassandra?” Bonnie asked fearfully, “what’ll happen to her?”

  
“Oh don’t worry, I assure you she’ll be _very_ well taken care of,” Klaus grinned, “I’m quite glad you’ve brought her to me, I haven’t met a girl like her in _ages_ , but I’ll always recognize the smell,” he took a step back, cherishing their terrified faces, “the smell of a half-blood you never forget, it stays with you _forever_ . And for a creature like me, that’s _quite_ a long time.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For a dog, which name is better: Luna or Eris?


	4. Chapter 3

* * *

“Come on love,” Klaus said as he walked into the hallway, watching the way Cassandra’s head snapped up in attention, curiosity shining in her golden eyes, “it’s time to go.”

“Where’s Rebekah?” she asked casually, taking his outstretched hand and pulling herself up, “is she coming with us?”

“I’m afraid she won’t be joining us, it’ll just be you and me.”

Cassandra just nodded and began to walk towards the exit.

He was a bit curious, it’s been ages since he’s met someone like her. Demigods were a reclusive bunch, but everything about them was just so distinctive he could sense their presence from a mile away. There was just something about them that you could just  _ tell _ that they were half god, pure incomprehensible power trapped inside a mortal body. 

Speaking of… 

“You were at the gym weren’t you?” his tone wasn’t accusatory, but curious, “You disobeyed my orders.”

She barely even glanced at him, “If this is supposed to work out,” she gestured between the two of them, “then you need to learn that I don’t take orders from anyone.”

“Oh? And I’m just supposed to accept that?”

Cassandra looked bemused, “Are you saying you  _ don’t _ want a demigod on your side? Cause if you want me to stay, we need to set a couple of boundaries.”

They approached his truck, the coffins of his family waiting inside. Klaus moved to the driver’s seat, but paused when he saw Cassandra approach the back. She seemed almost drawn to his siblings with the way she walked. Slowly, carefully she opened the trunk, gazing upon his family with a sense of child-like wonder, a breathless sense of awe that comes when meeting legends for the first time.

He saw her knees buckle and caught her as she fell.

She was trembling in his arms, weakly pushing him away, her breaths coming in short gasps as she clutched her head.

“Are you alright Cassandra?” he asked, worried his demigod was about to die.

She shook him off, “I’m fine… just a little overwhelmed that’s all.”

Klaus helped her up, offering a hand to steady herself with, “Your family has a strong relationship with Death,” she said, in lieu of an explanation, “it will take some time for me to get used to it.”

There was an awkward pause between them, as if they were suddenly both aware of how intertwined their lives had become.

“So,” he grinned, in an attempt to lighten the mood, “what were you saying about boundaries?”

* * *

Elena didn’t know what went wrong.

Klaus just waltzed in, turned her friend into a hybrid, took away Stefan’s humanity, her blood, then just disappeared, leaving his own sister behind.

Poor Bonnie, desperately looking for a way to find Cassandra, but none of the tracking spells would stick, no matter what personal object they used. 

“He must’ve had one of his witches cloak her,” Bonnie said, flipping through her grandmother’s grimoires, “that’s the only explanation I can think of.”

“But  _ why _ did Klaus want her in the first place?” Damon demanded, “she’s nobody important right?”

Elena tried to remember all the times they’ve spent together, to see if she missed anything, but all she could see was one of her best friends smiling and laughing with them, ignorant of what really went on in Mystic Falls.

“I don’t remember anything different from when we were younger,” Bonnie confessed, “but hanging out with her now… her aura is different.”

Elena was confused, “What do you mean?”

“Dark, ancient, powerful,” Damon interrupted, “yeah, I know what you mean. It’s nothing like I’ve ever felt before.”

“But Cassie’s normal,” Elena said, almost a little desperately, “we left her out because she wasn’t a part of it. We were doing the right thing!”

They, as a group, thought it was in her best interest to leave her out of the whole supernatural mess. She couldn’t protect herself and by exposing her to it they would just be putting her in danger.

_ Right? _

Doubt began to creep into Elena’s consciousness as her thoughts continued to spiral.

Maybe they should have told her.

Maybe they should have at least warned her about Klaus.

And maybe if they actually included her, then she wouldn’t have allowed herself to get kidnapped by that monster.

The image of Cassandra and Klaus together was seared into Elena’s brain, a memory that just kept playing over and over again. Every time she closed her eyes she could see him reach out towards her best friend, and Cassandra just... _ allowing _ it.

“Klaus knows something about her that we don’t,” Damon reasoned, “therefore, we should just ask Rebekah.”

“What makes you think that she’ll want to talk to us?” Bonnie asked.

“Blondie was just abandoned by her brother, I think she’s more than willing to spill the beans.”

Bonnie looked to her friend, “Elena? What do you think?”

The doppelgänger just hugged her knees to her chest, “I’m just worried for Cassie,” she said quietly, “who knows what Klaus is doing to her.”

“I understand,” Bonnie replied gently, “I’m worried for her too, but I think it’s time we realize that we don’t know that much about our friend, and the more we know, the easier it will be for me to find her.”

Elena nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes, “Okay,” she took a deep breath, “I’ll talk to Rebekah.”

* * *

Rebekah Mikaelson was a coldhearted woman who wouldn’t hesitate to rip out your heart if she thought it benefited her.

She allowed herself to be used as her brother’s tool, willingly hurting those who slighted him.

Elena knew this.

Which was why she did not know why her heart ached for the Original vampire.

It was shocking to learn that vampires were created out of a mother’s love for her children. It added a sense of nobility that the species didn’t deserve.

But a parent’s love is rarely unconditional.

To hear about how Rebekah and her siblings were hunted by their own father all their lives, never allowed to settle down and create a happy life for themselves was maddeningly depressing.

But the doppelgänger didn’t have time to feel sorry for the woman who took her friend away.

  
  


“Tell me about Cassandra,” Elena asked, “why did Klaus have to take her?”

Rebekah stared into the fire, her emotions spent from reliving her past, “There are things in this world bigger than us Elena,” she said finally, “monsters more terrifying than our minds could comprehend.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

Rebekah rolled her eyes, “I wouldn’t expect you to,” she sneered, “just know this, if Cassandra is with my brother, it’s because she wants to. So don’t have any delusions of her being the victim, because I assure you, she’s not.”

Elena wrapped her arms around herself, disbelief written on her face, “You’re saying she betrayed us?”

The Original barely spared the girl a glance, “That’s assuming she was on your side in the first place.”

* * *

Klaus found his demigod sitting on the ground, meditating.

The only reason they were making these stops was for her. He tended to forget that still-living people had different needs than he did, but Cassandra made it very clear whenever she wanted something.

And right now, she was summoning the dead.

At least, he thinks that’s what she’s doing.

The ground trembled for a moment, and a skeletal hand broke through the dirt, followed by another, until a  _ whole skeleton _ climbed its way out of dirt and stood in front of Cassandra, motionless.

Cassandra, meanwhile, visibly brightened as she stood up and dusted herself off, “Got any news for me?” she asked.

Klaus was stunned as the skeleton started talking,  _ chattering _ to her. It sounded like the clacking of bones to him, but she seemed to understand every word it said. 

“Oh that’s cool,” she said, smiling, “can you tell him that we’ll be approaching our destination soon, and he can send his gift then.”

The skeleton bowed, then dissolved into a pile of dust as the ground beneath them closed up until there was no trace of what just happened.

Klaus gained a new respect for Cassandra. Necromancy was a dangerous branch of magic, and she practiced it like it was nothing. He had an inkling as to who her godly parent was, and she had yet to tell him herself.

As she turned towards him with an infectious smile on her face, Klaus felt himself begin to grin as well. 

He didn’t  _ mind _ seeing her happy.

“Well then Cassandra,” he rubbed his hands together in an eager gesture, “are you ready to continue?”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sporadic updates <3


	5. Chapter 4

* * *

Cassandra was many things.

A morning person?

Not one of them.

“Rise and shine love,” Klaus crowed as he threw open the curtains, “I have a full day planned for the two of us, and you need to be awake for all of it.”

Cassandra glared as she burrowed deeper into her blankets, snarling silently at the sunlight streaming through her windows.

“Come on Cassandra,” he goaded, “don’t you want to go see the horses? I remember you saying that you’ve always wanted to own one.”

One golden eye peeked from underneath the covers, and Klaus knew he won, “That’s just one of the things we’re going to do today,” he coaxed, “but you won’t be able to do any of them if you’re staying in bed.”

Klaus resisted laughing when he heard a very quiet, but deliberate, “ _ Die _ .”

“That’s very impolite of you, wishing death on me,” he sighed rather dramatically, “oh well then,” he walked obnoxiously towards the door, “guess we’re not going anywhere today.”

Once he closed the door, there was a small  _ thud _ , and the sound of someone rushing throughout the room.

Klaus smiled to himself, grinning even more when the door was blown open, revealing a wide-eyed Cassandra dressed in an old sweatshirt and leggings, her hair piled messily into a bun, and a scowl on her face, “We are going to see the horses,” she said slowly, a command laced in every word.

He grinned down at her, amusement dancing in his eyes, “Of course we are,” Klaus agreed, walking down the hallway, “but first, breakfast?”

* * *

Damon was very confused.

He didn’t appreciate being confused.

“Elena?” said girl froze in the hallway, “why are you sneaking towards Cassandra’s room?”

His question attracted the attention of both Stefan and Bonnie, since all of them were there to discuss Mikael and killing Klaus and all those things.

“I know you’re probably still shaken up over her kidnapping,” Bonnie said gently, “but if we kill Klaus, we can get her back.”

Elena started shaking her head, and Damon could read the anger and frustration coming off of her in waves, “No no no no, Cassandra was  _ never  _ on our side,” she said fiercely, “and I want to find out what she's hiding!”

She stomped towards the room, only to be stopped by Stefan of all people, “Woah Elena, cool it,” he said, “Cassandra can’t be on anyone’s side because she’s  _ human _ , right?”

Elena shook her head, “Rebekah told me,” she ground out, “she said that if Cassandra’s with  _ him _ ,” she spat with disgust, “then it’s because she wants to be. Rebekah wouldn’t tell me  _ what _ Cassandra is, so I’m going to find out.”

“And you’re trusting Rebekah?  _ Barbie Klaus? _ Really?”

Bonnie looked sympathetically at Elena, “Damon’s right,” she tried to reason, “I know things are stressful right now, but one thing at a time. Let’s meet up with Mikael, and plan Klaus’s demise, then we can discuss Cassandra.”

Elena felt her anger subside, and she could feel herself nodding to Bonnie’s logic, “Yeah, yeah okay,” she mumbled, “I’m just worried for her.”

“We all are,” Bonnie agreed, “which is why the plan with Mikael needs to go flawlessly.”

“It’s just,” Elena wrapped her arms around herself, “if Rebekah is lying,” grief and worry was written all over her face, “then who knows what Klaus is doing to Cassandra.”

Silence settled over the room, each filled with a sense of dread.

“We’ll get her back,” Bonnie repeated firmly, “we have to.”

* * *

“For someone who claims to love animals, they don’t seem to like you very much,” Klaus observed curiously, watching horses avoiding the girl in front of him like the plague.

“I hope you know I take offense to that statement,” Cassandra stated primly, still holding her hand out patiently, “besides, it’s because I smell.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Being a child of the Underworld means that I smell like death. Animals can smell it, humans can’t,” she spared him a glance, “surely you’ve noticed it by now.”

“Speaking of which,  _ who is _ your godly parent?” he asked, “you never told me.”

“Thanatos, the god of Death,” she replied, “which means the smell is extra strong for me,” she laughed dejectedly as another horse walked right past her, “ Y’know I still can’t believe you haven’t noticed it.”

Well, he did, but Klaus always associated it with  _ her _ . He probably should’ve realized that no normal person smells like fresh earth combined with the barest hint of blood. 

The smell of death was a lot less,  _ malevolent  _ than he expected. Death to him was rotting flesh, the putrid, bitter smell of dried blood, it’s what he always smelled from his victims.

Klaus was torn from his musings when he saw a horse as black as midnight hesitantly sniff Cassandra’s outstretched hand, before stepping closer into her space.

Cassandra giggled as the horse blew hot air into her face, stroking its neck and whispering sweet nothings into its ear.

The hybrid approached the gelding, marveling his powerful muscles and beautiful white blaze on his face, “I used to have a horse,” Klaus remembered fondly, “his name was Theo, and he was the most wonderful companion in all my years of living.”

Cassandra hummed, burying her face in the horse’s neck, “What happened to him?”

She didn’t see his expression darken, “My father,” he spat, “severed his head and put it on a pike as a warning, for me. It was the closest my father ever came to hurting me, hunting me and my family down.”

“Your father will pay for his crimes,” she told him, “for now, let us focus on the good things, like this beauty,” Cassandra planted a kiss on the horse’s muzzle.

Despite his dampened mood, Klaus found it within himself to smile, “Of course love, now do you want to take him with us?”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to offer him a very good life,” she said honestly, “since we’re moving around so much,” she looked mournfully at the gelding, who was nudging her for treats, “it’s probably for the best that we leave him here.”

“How noble of you,” he said, more sincere than he meant it to be.

Cassandra beamed, her smile radiant and incredibly infectious.

The moment was ruined by the phone ringing, startling the three of them. Klaus frowned and checked his phone, pausing when he saw it was Stefan.

“Hello Stefan, it’s been awhile,” Cassandra also frowned, she never did like that vampire.

“ _ Klaus, your father’s dead. _ ”

Klaus’ expression quickly morphed into anger, “I want to see him,” he growled, “I want to see his rotting body for myself.”

“ _ Well, he’s here. Come by whenever. _ ”

“If you’re lying to me, your compulsion will expose you, so answer with your life. Is what you’re saying the truth?”

“ _ It’s true. I saw it with my own eyes _ .”

“I want to talk to Rebekah.”

“ _ Well that’s not a problem, she’s right here _ .”

The voice changed, “ _ Hello Nik. _ ”

“Rebekah love, what’s this I hear about Mikael’s tragic run-in with a dagger?”

“ _ It’s true _ ,” there was a slight waver in her voice, “ _ he’s finally out of our lives for good _ ,” there was a pause, “ _ I miss you, it’s miserable here. _ ”

Klaus turned to Cassandra, meeting her questioning stare, “I’ll be home soon.”

“ _ Good, I’ll see you then brother _ .”

* * *

“You do realize this is probably a trap right?”

The pair sped along the highway, Klaus’s hybrid minions in tow, and one missing horse.

_ No _ , Cassandra was not still salty about it.

“If it was a trap, then that means my dear old sister decided to betray me, and she knows better than to do something like that. Besides, can’t you sense his death for me?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes, “First of all, dagger-desiccation does not mean true death, so that doesn’t count. Secondly, you really shouldn’t be so confident in that claim. Ever heard of the story of Icarus?”

Klaus barely spared her a glance, which,  _ rude _ , “The myth? Of course.”

A loud clap of thunder boomed over them, and Cassandra barely spared a glance up. Everyone else, though, were thoroughly frightened at the sound on a sunny day. Even Klaus looked a bit nervous.

“The gods don’t like it when you call them myths, I bet even Icarus got offended down in the Underworld.”

Klaus huffed out a laugh, “You’re still mad about leaving your precious behind aren’t you love?”

“No.”

Cassandra stared pointedly out the window, watching the trees and fields pass her by as they got closer and closer to Mystic Falls. Honestly, she wasn’t even  _ that _ mad about leaving the horse behind, Klaus promised it would be a quick trip and they would quickly return. She was just a bit more hesitant to see Elena and her gang again, she didn’t really want to deal with the drama of the eventual “betrayal.” 

Hopefully they would be long gone before it even came to that.

“I did promise that it would be quick. I just need to check that my father is out of my life for good. We’ll be back in Kentucky in no time.”

This time she did spare him a glance, “And if you suddenly decide to stay since your “source” lives in Mystic Falls? What will we do then?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there Cassandra. For now, let me see that my father is finally gone, and then we’ll talk about it,” his expression became hopeful, fond, and she smiled in return, “once he’s gone, I can finally free my siblings and we can be a family together, free from his torture.”

He sounded so ridiculously naive that she didn’t have the heart to tell him that his family would probably hate him for keeping them in a box for so many centuries.

_ Ah well,  _ she thought sardonically,  _ guess we’ll  _ _ “cross that bridge when we get there.” _

* * *

“My freedom from Klaus rests on your plan, so forgive me if I’m being a bit cynical.”

“Cassandra’s freedom too, this is our chance to get her out from  _ his _ clutches,” Damon replied, bottling another vial of wolfsbane.

Stefan looked at the two a bit skeptically, but they didn’t notice. He  _ knew _ who Cassandra was, there used to be memories in his head of all the times they  _ supposedly _ spent together, but funnily enough, there were no emotions attached to them, no reason for Stefan to actually care about this girl.

At first, he chalked it up to turning off his humanity, but the more Stefan thought about it, the more his memories unraveled, until she disappeared from them altogether.

He didn’t know any supernatural creatures other than vampires that could implant memories into others through compulsion, but only the Originals could compel other vampires. 

Stefan didn’t know  _ what _ Cassandra was.

But he was ready to find out.

“I don’t care, just, just don’t screw this up okay?”

* * *

Klaus and Cassandra arrived at Mystic Falls in the afternoon, settling in Tyler Lockwood’s house. When Klaus’s hybrids started setting up for what looked like a  _ party _ , Cassandra looked questioningly at her friend.

Klaus simply laughed and pulled one of his hybrids aside, “Do me a favor and cause a little accident that will get their dance canceled,” he instructed, “then come back immediately.”

Once the hybrid left Klaus turned to Cassandra and smirked, “You ready for a party?”

She shrugged, “Sure, why not.”

* * *

The party was…well… _ interesting _ . 

Cassandra was told it was supposed to be a homecoming dance, to make up for the one that was “tragically canceled,” but according to Klaus, it was actually a funeral party to celebrate Mikael’s death. She thought it was more of a typical teenager house party, like the ones the Stolls used to talk about. 

_ “Once I finally have my father’s daggered corpse, I will find his white oak stake and finally be rid of him once and for all.” _

_ Cassandra glanced up from her sparring match with a skeleton warrior, “I know you probably believed in the Norse gods back then because vikings and all, but where I’m from, patricide is a big no-no.” _

_ “Well then what do you suggest I do?” Klaus asked, “leave him daggered forever as a constant threat to my existence?” _

_ “I could kill him for you,” she offered, banishing the warrior back to the Underworld with a wave of her hand, “killing monsters has always been my specialty.” _

Still, her outfit wasn’t wildly inappropriate for either event. She chose this little black dress knowing full well she wasn’t winning homecoming queen. Of course, it gave her full mobility to fight.

Just in case.

Klaus disappeared amongst the crowd almost immediately, claiming something about being a good host, leaving Cassandra alone to navigate her first “homecoming dance.” 

If she was entirely honest, it was… okay. The music was not her taste, she barely knew anyone, there was way too many hybrids and vampires to make her feel comfortable, and every so often someone would grab her, hiss “ _ demigod _ ” in her ear, and try to lead her away-- 

\--to which she responded by twisting her ring  _ once _ and stabbing the monster with her newly formed Stygian Iron dagger because sometimes the situation calls for something  _ other _ than subtly. 

One hour in and she has already killed three vampires and one hybrid.

Thankfully, everyone was too drunk to notice someone’s entire essence getting sucked into a blade.

_ Di immortals _ she needed to find Klaus.

_ Now _

* * *

“There’s a man waiting outside for you,” the hybrid said, “he says his name is Mikael.”

Cassandra sent a worried look to her friend, subconsciously fiddling with her ring in agitation. 

Klaus took one long drink from his cup, smiling bitterly, “Well then, we should probably see what he wants.”

“I’m coming with you,” she said in a low voice.

The Original nodded, and they made their way to the front door, Cassandra sticking close to the shadows to observe.

Mikael was an impressive sight to behold, and Cassandra immediately noticed the shift in Klaus’s behavior. She saw the way he curled into himself only slightly, and how his gaze was fixed on his father.

_ But she could see the fear in his eyes. _

She wished she was able to give courage and strength, like Reyna, but all she could offer was the comforting hold of darkness.

_ She couldn’t even give that now. _

So she waited, watching the unshakeable Klaus Mikaelson revert to a vulnerable, broken man with every harsh word Mikael spoke.

“Who do you have, other than whose loyalty you’ve forced?  _ No one _ .”

_ You’re wrong,  _ Cassandra thought furiously, _ he has me. _

Elena stood besides Mikael, her eyes darting nervously between him and Klaus. Cassandra watched in a detached sense of horror as Mikael unsheathed his dagger and stabbed Elena in her side, smiling with malice as her body collapsed out of sight.

_ Everything seemed to happen so slowly. _

Damon had snuck behind Klaus and jumped him with the white oak dagger, stabbing the Original in his side.

_ Elena was alive? But Mikael called her Katherine---di Immortals KLAUS _

Cassandra flinched at his scream and was about to summon her sword when Stefan tackled Damon, knocking him off of Klaus.

Her friend made eye contact with her, and Cassandra nodded. She reached out from her hiding place the same time Klaus ripped the stake from his body and threw it at her. The moment her hand closed around the stake she disappeared into the shadows---

\---and appeared right in front of Mikael, barely giving him an opportunity to react as she drove the stake into his heart, the impact sending him reeling backwards onto the pavement below.

“Accept my offering Lord Hades,” Cassandra murmured as Mikael’s body burst into flames, “and please tell your son I said ‘hi.’”

The ground trembled in response, a crack opening up before her and swallowing Mikael’s ashes whole, leaving no trace of the Original behind.

* * *

Damon was still wrestling with Stefan as he turned his head and saw Cassandra kill Mikael. His arms went slack in disbelief and once Stefan felt him stop fighting, he relaxed too, “What did you do?” Damon asked desperately as Klaus began to approach them, “What did you  _ do _ ?”

“He’s earned his freedom,” Klaus replied without emotion, not reacting when Cassandra stepped into place by his side.

_ Her golden eyes were so cold, it’s like she didn’t recognize me at all. _

Damon was long gone before he could see what happened next, Cassandra and his brother’s betrayal still festering in his mind.

What happened?

How could everything have gone so wrong?

_ What was he going to tell Elena? _

* * *

“You don’t have to listen to my orders anymore,” Klaus said, “you’re free.”

Stefan exhaled once he felt the new orders sink in, fully relaxing for the first time in months. He barely noticed Klaus leaving, only pausing to make eye contact with the girl he didn’t know.

_ She’s strong enough to kill an Original. _

Cassandra merely nodded once and left without a word.

He was barely alone for a second until Katherine came up to him and whispered, “We need to talk.”

“Your car or mine?”

* * *

“You killed him for me.”

Cassandra looked at him puzzled, “Yes?”

The recent events had finally sunk in, and now Klaus could barely tear his eyes away from her, “You killed  _ him  _ for  _ me _ .”

Her eyes softened once she realized what he meant, and Klaus was struck again by how  _ lucky _ he was to have her in his life, “Of course I did, you’re my friend. I will gladly kill my friends’ abusive fathers so they don’t have to.”

“This a common thing for you then?”

Cassandra laughed and shook her head, “Not really, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

He could barely comprehend it, even now his father’s words were still taunting him.

_ Who do you have, other than whose loyalty you’ve forced? No one. _

She saw him at his worst, yet chose to be with him anyways. This demigod saw a big, bad monster who wouldn’t hesitate to rip out her throat to suit his own needs and  _ laughed _ . Cassandra Callaghan had heard everything there was to say about Klaus Mikaelson, and she just grinned and told him she was bored back home.

“You care about me?” Klaus asked, wincing at how  _ weak _ he sounded.

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Cassandra replied, taking his hand into her own.

Her hand was frigidly cold to touch, but Klaus didn’t react.

And the two of them just sat there, a thoughtful silence between them.

* * *

Honestly the last place Stefan wanted to be was near Katherine, but she seemed worried, and whatever worried  _ her _ meant bad news for everybody else.

“Why didn’t you tell me Klaus had a demigod,” she said accusingly.

Stefan’s mind blanked, “Demigod?” he repeated, “ _ what _ ?”

“The child of a human and a god,  _ duh _ . Have you never met one in your entire life?”

He shook his head, “I don’t know.”

Katherine groaned in frustration, “That information would’ve been useful,” she snarled, “then  _ maybe _ we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What difference would it have made? Damon still would’ve died if I hadn’t intervened.”

“It makes all the difference Stefan! Demigods have weapons that can kill the Original vampires.”

He felt like he didn’t hear her correctly, “ _ Excuse me _ ?”

Katherine quickly pulled to a stop and turned towards him, “Some demigods,” she explained, “are known as children of the Underworld, meaning they are the offspring of deities associated with death. They are the only kind who can wield Stygian Iron, which is a metal that is capable of killing  _ anything _ and sending them straight to hell. Did you not notice the stench of  _ death _ surrounding that girl?” her expression turned deadly serious, “you have to be careful from now on. If he sends  _ her _ after you, there’s no going back. Once she kills you, you’re dead, no second or third chances, got it?”

“What am I supposed to do then?” he asked sardonically, “live on the run for the rest of my life? Let Klaus do whatever he wants just because he has a ‘demigod’ on his side?”

“Stay mad,” she told him, “use the anger and channel it, but plan carefully. With that girl in the mix, you have to be absolutely  _ certain _ that getting revenge is what you want to do.”

Stefan scoffed, “Of course I’m certain,” he glared at his hands, “It’s not like I have anything else to live for.”

* * *

Cassandra was jolted awake by a very aggravated looking Klaus, “ _ Di immortals _ what’s going on?” she mumbled, half-awake.

“They’re gone,” Klaus replied angrily, “the coffins, my  _ family _ , they’re gone!”

Her eyes flew back open in shock, “ _ What _ ?”

“Can you locate them?” Klaus asked urgently.

Cassandra looked at him like he was crazy.

“Can you or can you not locate the coffins?”

  
She rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes and blinked a few times, “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get on it,” Cassandra replied breezily, “I’m going to need some help though” her golden eyes gained a twinkle of excitement, “and I know someone who  _ can _ .”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!! <3


	6. Chapter 5

* * *

The first thing Cassandra noticed when she arrived at Camp Half-Blood was the giant golden,  _ naked _ statue without a head lying over the crushed dining pavilion.

The second thing she noticed was Percy and Mrs. O’Leary trying to help with the damage.

“Percy!” Cassandra cried out, running up to give her old friend a hug, “I didn’t know you’d be here!”

“Yeah well I made a promise to Apollo that I’d come by for the weekend so,” Percy shrugged, “I didn’t see you at all during the battle, where were you?”

“Battle?” she asked, suddenly registering all the wreckage and giant footprints around the place she once called home, “what happened here?” something made her pause, “Apollo?”

“Turns out our newest threat is a bunch of old Roman emperors,” Percy said bitterly, “and Apollo has been turned human as a result of the Giant War. Nero had a giant statue attack camp.”

Cassandra looked around, spotting a teen she didn’t recognize holding a massive bow,  _ Chiron’s bow _ , in his hands, “Was there any casualties?” she asked softly.

“Just the Demeter Cabin,” Percy replied, “also there’s an outbreak of hayfever right now, Apollo's fault too.”

“I was gone for less than two months,” Cassandra muttered, but Percy’s attention suddenly focused back to her.

“You  _ left _ ?” Percy asked disbelievingly, “since when Cassie?”

“Since I got tired of staying here,” she replied, “although, being back now, there really is no place like it.”

The two of them watched the other campers clean up the mess, taking a moment to just enjoy each other’s company, “Yeah,” Percy agreed, “there isn’t.”

* * *

Truthfully, Cassandra’s never met Apollo face to face.

Meeting him now, getting patched up by his own son Will?

A truly wild experience.

“Oh Cassie you’re alive,” Nico said, giving her a hug, “I was worried.”

“I’ve been lucky so far,” she agreed, “knock on wood.”

“Dad says thank you by the way,” Nico added, “he might not be able to judge Mikael right now, but he’s just relieved that one Original is dead. He is also wondering if you’re planning on killing any more sometime soon.”

“Why wouldn’t your dad be able to judge him?” Cassandra asked, confused, “Mikael’s dead isn’t he?”

Nico rolled his eyes, “Long time ago, some legacy of Hecate fell in love with another legacy of Hecate, but he fell in love with this other mortal. They found the key to immortality which really was pre-vampirism, but Silas, that’s his name by the way, planned on using it with his ‘one true love’ instead of with her. She got mad, killed his lover, then created a supernatural purgatory that prevented him, werewolves, and witches from entering the Underworld, keeping him forever separated from his lover.” 

Cassandra blinked, “That sounds… so incredibly cheesy.”

“I know right? I had to listen to my  _ dad _ tell the whole thing for  _ hours _ . Apparently it was a lot more complicated than that.”

“So does that mean there’s a vampire that’s older than the Originals?”

“Yeah, but he’s in an enchanted coma right now,” Nico cracked a smile, “if he ever happened to wake up, could you kill him too?”

Cassandra shrugged, “Sounds like a plan.”

“I don’t know what the two of you are talking about,” said a cracking, by the gods  _ annoying _ voice behind them, “but I feel like I should.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “Don’t worry Apollo, it’s not really super important to anyone else but Underworld kids.”

Cassandra’s mouth dropped open, turning around and seeing a scrawny teen pout while he clutched an arrow in his hands, “I’m sorry,” she blurted out, “ _ you’re _ the god Apollo?”

“I know,” he sighed dramatically, “and no, I’m not accepting any offerings right now.”

“This is Cassandra,” Nico introduced, “Cassandra, this is Lester, formerly known as Apollo.”

“Cassandra?” Apollo sniffed, “like that woman I cursed to have accurate visions but no one to believe her?”

“I think my mom had something different in mind when she chose my name, but okay.”

“Nonsense,” Apollo said, “you should take pride in your name’s heritage. She was a princess you know.”

“She also died a very horrible death,” Nico added helpfully, “ _ and _ had to endure being courted by  _ you _ .”

“If I was a god right now Nico di Angelo,” Apollo threatened half-heartedly.

“This is probably one of the most bizarre things that’s ever happened to me,” Cassandra said frankly, “and I befriended Klaus Mikaelson.”

“Be honored,” Apollo told her, before getting up and walking away.

Cassandra turned to one of her best friends, “He’s a lot more…  _ out there _ than I thought he would be.”

Nico snorted, “I think it’s the hormones mixed with his already dramatic personality. I met him when I was younger and he is exactly the same, only more self-pitying.” 

“That’s bound to happen when one goes from being a god to a mere mortal.”

“Yeah that’s fair,” Nico agreed, “so what made you come back? Nothing too life threatening I hope?”   
  


“I was hoping you’d come with me?” Cassandra asked hopefully, “Klaus needs me to locate his family’s coffins, but y’know I thought it would be fun if we did it together since I almost fainted the last time I was exposed to all those coffins.”

Nico stared, “There is so much to unpack in that sentence,” he said, “what do you mean his family’s in coffins? What do you mean  _ you almost fainted??? _ ”

“Turns out, when someone has killed as many people as Klaus did, it tends to leave a mark. Unsurprisingly, I am extremely sensitive to that mark, and it felt like my insides were being ripped apart. Also, did you know that Klaus has his family in this weird limbo between dead and not dead? And stores them in coffins? Yeah so an enemy of his stole them and now he wants to find them.”

Nico crossed his arms, “How do you know  _ I’m  _ not going to suffer being near the Originals?” he asked.

“Because I’m a sensitive soul,” Cassandra said dramatically, “and you’re probably more resistant on the whole you-dad-is-the-god-of-the-dead-not-the-god-of-Death?”

“Point,” Nico acknowledged, “but can’t you stay a couple days? We don’t  _ have _ to go back right away.”

“True,” Cassandra admitted, “I kind of missed this place anyways. My cabin didn’t get destroyed right?”

“As far as I know?” Nico said, standing up, “it’s the same as how you left it.”

Cassandra grinned, “Nice.”

* * *

It was strangely relaxing to be back at camp.

She spent more time with Percy while he was there, gave Mrs. O’Leary a good scratch, then waved goodbye as the pair disappeared into the sea.

Cassandra then helped everyone else clean up the damage, sang songs around the campfire, and happily punched Leo in the face when he returned on Festus with Calypso.

It was a great way to spend the weekend.

Still when she checked her phone in her spare moments, and found the  _ 15  _ missed calls from Klaus, she realized she still had a job to do. Quietly she made her way to Nico, who was sitting with his boyfriend at the infirmary, tapping his shoulder and whispering quietly, “It’s time.”

Nico nodded and looked at Will who crossed his arms disapprovingly, “The moment you feel  _ any _ fatigue,” he instructed, “you come back here. Got it?”

“Don’t worry Solace,” Cassandra said, rolling her eyes, “I’ll be doing most of the work anyways, he’ll be fine.”

At that, she grabbed Nico’s hands and the pair disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

When Cassandra and Nico stumbled out of the shadows, the pair did not quite expect to land in an empty mansion. 

As soon as their feet hit the ground with a  _ thud _ , Klaus rushed in, his expression murderous until he saw who it was. Beside her, Cassandra felt Nico tense as he felt the effects of being so close to an Original.

“Where have you been?” Klaus demanded, “and  _ why _ haven’t you been picking up your phone?”

“Relax Klaus,” she drawled, brushing past him to survey their new home, “phone service isn’t working at camp, besides, I’m here with help aren’t I?”

The hybrid glanced dubiously at Nico, who crossed his arms and glared in response, “ _ He _ is the one who can find my family?”

Nico rolled his eyes, sarcasm evident in his voice, “Yes,” he replied, “ _ he _ can.”

“We’ll start in the most death potent locations first,” Cassandra continued, unaware of the growing tension, “I hope you haven’t done anything stupid in my absence. Where are all your hybrids anyways?”

“I sent them away,” Klaus replied tersely, “ _ Stefan _ decided to use his newfound influence over me. We’re having a bit of a tiff right now.”

“You didn’t threaten his friends’ safety did you?”

“I might have,” was his vague reply.

Cassandra sighed, sharing a long suffering glance with Nico, who looked amused at the exchange, “Fine,” she said, “I’m going to go get the rest of my stuff from the Salvatore house. Once I get back then we’ll start looking.”

“No don’t leave me here with  _ him _ ,” Nico sarcastically drawled, eyeing the angry hybrid with disdain.

She waved him off, “It’s a big house, you’ll be fine,” she said, then disappearing into the shadows once more.

The two guys looked at each other and glared.

“The only reason I don’t kill you where you stand is because for some strange reason, Cassandra’s fond of you,” Klaus sneered, stalking off.

“Same here,” was the demigod’s reply.

* * *

When Stefan heard a heartbeat and footsteps, he assumed Elena’s come by,  _ again _ , to talk to him _ , again _ , about becoming human,  _ again _ .

Then he remembered the night at the bridge and he distantly realized that she wouldn’t be coming by anymore.

Unless it was to see  _ Damon _ .

Turning around to see who decided to invade his space, the vampire was somewhat surprised to see a nonchalant Cassandra Callaghan standing there unapologetically.

She looked exactly the same since he last saw her, the same raven curls cascading down her back, the same elegant facial features, and the same  _ unnerving _ golden eyes that blinked at him unwaveringly. It didn’t help his temper either that she stood there languidly, so relaxed as if she didn’t ruin  _ everything _ .

_ No _ , his treacherous mind whispered,  _ she didn’t ruin it, you did. _

So instead he rolled his eyes upwards to the heavens and prayed that Damon still had some whiskey lying around.

Who was he kidding of  _ course _ his brother did.

“What are you doing here Callaghan?” he asked, not even bothering to look at her.

Stefan could practically  _ feel _ her shrug, “Just collecting the rest of my stuff,” she replied honestly, “I’d be surprised if you guys haven’t gone through it yet, but I need it back all the same.”

“Actually,” he interrupted, sensing her pause, “we didn’t. Elena wanted to, but we didn’t,” he snorted bitterly, “maybe if we had we would’ve known what kind of  _ friend _ you were.”

“I imagine Klaus’s told you about his coffins,” Stefan continued brazenly, “I’m surprised he hasn’t sent out his little  _ pet _ to find it for him yet.”

“I guess you know where it is then.”

“Obviously,” he said, “but it’s not like I’ll ever tell you, or you’ll ever find out where, so maybe you should go back to your master and tell him that there’s no point, none.”

A pause, “Okay.”

Then, to his surprise, he heard her walk away.

Stefan risked a glance back, and he found nothing but an empty hall, but his ears picked up the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and footsteps. 

Frowning to himself, he pulled out his phone and sent one simple message.

_ Be careful, Klaus has his demigod looking for them _ .

Then he bitterly poured himself another drink.

* * *

Cassandra’s room at the Salvatore Boarding House was nearly barren, nothing to indicate that someone lived there other than a suitcase lying at the foot of the bed and crumpled sheets. 

She didn’t have time to decorate before she got kidnapped.

Quickly grabbing the suitcase, Cassandra shadow-traveled out of the house and back to the mansion. She passed by Klaus on her way up, and he pointed her in the direction of her room.

“Your  _ friend _ is there waiting for you,” he said, scowling, “you have a plan right?”

“Course I do,” she patted his shoulder in mock sympathy, “but you have a back-up in case we can’t find them right?”

“While I have full confidence in your abilities, I do prefer to have options.”

Cassandra shrugged, “I don’t mind, you can actually get the ball rolling on option 2, we’ll see which one works faster.”

Klaus nodded and left, presumably to enact some dastardly plan or another, but she didn’t really care. 

She made her way up the stairs and quickly found her room. Honestly, she never expected Klaus to be so good at interior designing, but the already furnished room looked so  _ cozy _ she already felt at home. Cassandra had to smile once she saw Nico lightly dozing on her bed, though his eyes fluttered open the moment he heard her walk in.

“Are you ready?” she asked him once he sat up, “or do you want to wait until tomorrow?”

“Let’s just do it now,” he said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, “no offense, but the sooner I leave this town, the better.”

“Aw don’t say that,” she chided him as they made their way into town, “it’s not that bad.”

“There’s so many restless souls here,” Nico muttered, lightly skimming the earth with his fingertips, “so many who should be in the Underworld. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed it yet.”

Cassandra quickly crossed out the location from her list. No coffins, just a lot of shades who can’t pass on, “Truthfully I haven’t really gotten the chance to explore the town,” she said, pulling him towards their next destination, “I was out of this town before my second week ended.”

“I just wish there was a way to help them,” he said, “I wish they weren’t stuck like this.”

“I think a lot of them chose to be like this Nico,” she replied softly, “so they can help their descendants this way.”

“I know,” a dark look passed over his face, “I still don’t like it.”

They visited a church, the cemetery, and oddly enough the parking lot of the high school. Each location, while chock full of death and souls, contained no coffins. Where would they hide five coffins anyways? It would be conspicuous no matter where they put it.

A warehouse she didn’t know about? An abandoned location in the woods?

Both?   
  


“There’s a place in the forest,” Nico said, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply, “Father told me a hundred witches burned to death there. I can hear them screaming.”

Cassandra closed her eyes and focused. Off in the distance, she could hear the faint murmur of voices, followed by an echoing cacophony of wails. The sound sent a strong shiver down her spine, and she knew that was where the coffins were being held, “This town is making me lose my touch,” she muttered angrily, “how could I have missed that?”

“Is it one of your locations?” Nico asked, his eyes still closed, his expression serene.

She checked her notes, “Yeah, but it’s far,” she held out her hand, “shadow-travel?”

Without hesitation Nico grabbed her offered hand and the pair instantly melted into the shadows, both of them drawn to the strong presence of Death. The whispers and screams grew louder as they grew closer to their destination. Suddenly the noises went silent, as if afraid of the two new presences at the location.

Cassandra observed the old, ruined building. Her father’s presence was strong there, she could feel it in her bones. 

The souls trapped were hostile, ready to defend their land with everything in their power. Even the authority of the Underworld didn’t mean anything to them. The demigod sighed and drew her sword, the cool, purple glow of the blade almost comforting.

“Ready?” she asked, turning to Nico in anticipation.

The son of Hades raised his own sword in lieu of an answer. 

And the two of them entered the shadowy mansion. 

* * *

The dead witches alerted Damon of the new presence before he heard their heartbeats. Before the intoxicating smell of their blood filled his senses.

_ “Klaus will send his demigod after you,” Stefan said, “be careful, and whatever you do, don’t drink her blood, it will burn you alive.” _

_ Damon was still trying to grapple with the fact that gods were real, he didn’t realize they had poisonous blood too, “What?” _

_ “Demigods have the blood of the gods flowing through their veins,” his brother explained, “mortal monsters like us aren’t meant to consume stuff like that.” _

_ Mortal _ monsters, Stefan had called them, which meant there were  _ others  _ out there. 

Damon still didn’t understand exactly  _ when _ Klaus managed to attract a demigod to his side, but he was curious to see who it was.

And perhaps a little frightened too.

The combination of Bonnie and Stefan’s warnings gave him enough time to hide one coffin, the one they couldn’t open, safely under the Lockwood’s house, where no vampire could reach. It made him a little nervous to learn that demigods could travel anywhere they wanted to without invitation, but Stefan assured him that the plan would work.

He hoped so, Damon wasn’t looking to get sent to the Greek Underworld anytime soon.

The vampire soon picked up voices, a boy and a girl. The boy’s voice was soft, quiet, breezy like a ghost. The girl’s voice sounded familiar, lulling and hypnotizing, Damon remembered only one person with a voice like that.

_ Run _ , the witches whispered,  _ run _ .

“This better be the right room---oh,” Cassandra Callaghan stood, a black sword in her hand, a teenage boy who looked like Death standing next to her, “hello Damon.”

“Stefan never told me it was you,” the vampire muttered, wincing at how hesitant he sounded, “that information would have been helpful.”

Cassandra shrugged, “I thought you would have guessed by now,” she gestured to the seemingly empty room, “not that it matters anymore. Where are the coffins?”

“How could you betray us like that?” Damon asked abruptly, “what did he offer you? Money? Power?” his expression gained a leery sneer, “Sex?”

She remained impassive to his taunts, much to his annoyance, “He offered me nothing actually,” she looked bored, “I joined him because I wanted to.”

“After everything we’ve been through?” Damon exploded, “you’d just turn on your friends just like that?”

Understanding dawned on Cassandra’s face, “Oh that’s right, I still haven’t removed them yet,” she clutched her heart in mock sympathy, “they’ll fade soon enough anyways, it’s not worth the trouble. Now I’ll ask one more time, where are the coffins?”

“They’re not here,” Damon sneered, “so you and your little creepy friend can go back to wherever hell hole you crawled out of.”

“Tartarus,” the boy said softly, his tone threatening, “is what you are referring to, and,” he gestured to the empty room, “they’re cloaking it under the Mist Cassie, the witches told me.”

_ Traitors _

Cassandra stared at the space for a moment, then laughed, “That is clever,” she quickly snapped her fingers, a clear, sharp sound, and the cloaking spell hiding the coffins quickly dissipated, revealing the shiny mahogany wood protecting the four Original vampires, “I’m almost impressed.”

“As am I,” a new voice said.

The three of them turned to see Klaus Mikaelson standing in the entrance, his expression almost delighted.

Damon disappeared the moment Klaus arrived. They had known it was only inevitable that he would retrieve the coffins again, but that wasn’t important anymore. What mattered was they still had the fifth one, the one Bonnie had been dreaming about.  _ That _ coffin would bring Klaus’s downfall, and that was the only thing they all cared about in the end.

Well, he wasn’t looking forward to seeing Elijah again.

He had to tell his friends about Cassandra too.

That wasn’t going to be a fun conversation.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The absolute shitshow that happened last week inspired me to start writing some stuff again
> 
> It's nice to feel motivated


End file.
